TearDown

TearDownAttribute marks a method NUnit calls immediately after each test case finishes under a TestFixture. Pair it with SetUp to release per-test resources (files, handles, mock substitutions, etc.).

Like SetUp, you usually place tear-down helpers on base classes and derived fixtures rather than stacking many methods on a single class (allowed, but order among them is undefined).

Static and instance methods

TearDown may be static or an instance method and runs on the same logical fixture object NUnit used for that test’s SetUp and test body (including a new instance per test when LifeCycle.InstancePerTestCase applies).

async Task / Task<T> methods are supported.

When TearDown runs

After a successful SetUp and test — always in normal execution (unless the run is aborted before teardown is dispatched).
After SetUp fails — TearDown still runs so partially constructed state can be unwound. The test method is skipped and the result shows a setup failure, but teardown for that level is not skipped solely because setup failed.
After the test throws or fails — TearDown still runs; the framework records the test failure and any teardown exception separately if both occur.

The only broad exception is an abort (TestExecutionStatus.AbortRequested), where NUnit may omit the teardown callback entirely—mirroring the behavior described for OneTimeTearDown.

Teardown failures or assertions are attached to the test result as teardown issues (FailureSite.TearDown) while preserving the original test outcome when possible.

Usage

This is a parameterless attribute that can only be applied to methods.

[TearDown]

Applies To

Lifecycle Methods	Test Methods	Test Fixtures (Classes)	Assembly
✅	❌	❌	❌

Example

[SetUp]
public void Init()
{
    _testRan = false;
}

[TearDown]
public void Cleanup()
{
    Assert.That(_testRan, Is.True);
}

[Test]
public void Add()
{
    _testRan = true;
    Assert.That(2 + 2, Is.EqualTo(4));
}

Inheritance

The TearDown attribute is inherited from any base class. Therefore, if a base class has defined a TearDown method, that method will be called after each test method in the derived class.

You may define a TearDown method in the base class and another in the derived class. NUnit will call base class TearDown methods after those in the derived classes.

Warning

If a base class TearDown method is overridden in the derived class, NUnit will not call the base class TearDown method; NUnit does not anticipate usage that includes hiding the base method. Note that you may have a different name for each method; as long as both have the [TearDown] attribute present, each will be called in the correct order.

Notes

TestContext — still per-test scope, but executed after the test method returns or throws.
Multiple TearDown methods on the same class are unordered relative to one another.
Derived TearDown runs before base-class TearDown when both apply (see Inheritance).